Review: Newcastle DraughtKeg

Want fresh, foamy beer without having to haul your ass down to your local watering hole or deal with the hassles of a home kegerator? Thanks to Newcastle, anyone can tap a pint-sized keg in the comfort of their own kitchen.

This five-liter metal canister contains pure Newcastle, complete with an internal CO2 pressure system and built-in tap. Instructions guide you through setting it up: Chill the keg for 10 hours, clip on the tap and nozzle, and go. You’ll have beer flowing in seconds (and much more quickly and easily than the IKEA-like instructions would make it out to be).

If you’re a fan of foamy heads on your pint, you’ll love the DraughtKeg. In fact, the first pint will be mostly foam, so don’t get too excited to drink it since you’ll need to let it settle. Experimenting with glass placement — since the beer comes out at an angle — helps, also. My only complaint with the delivery system: Lots of spillage after you’re done drawing a glass. Keep it near the sink or remember to leave an empty glass underneath.

The beer itself isn’t bad. It’s definitely Newcastle Brown Ale, which is still a little thin for my taste, but it has a light body and sweetness that lends itself well to a party-sized item like this. (It’s good for about 10 pints of beer.) It’s fun and tailor-made for conversation, and according to the company any leftover beer will keep for 30 days in the fridge — so don’t fret about sucking it all down in one go.

1 Response

aadilouMay 10, 2010 / 1:44 am

If you find Newcastle Brown Ale a little thin, then perhaps I may recommend Gulden_Draak. The latter is kind of strong, mind you. If thick but least strong is what you are looking then Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse Dunkel is the deal, imho.